Candidates vying for Adelanto seats

Sunday

Jul 20, 2014 at 1:09 PMJul 20, 2014 at 1:26 PM

ADELANTO — With the city teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, several candidates have pulled papers with the intention to run for three open seats on the Adelanto City Council, including the mayor’s spot.

The filing period for the election started a week ago, and candidates have until Aug. 8 to file. So far, only two of three incumbents have requested the paperwork needed to run again — Mayor Cari Thomas and Councilman Charles Valvo.

“I’d like to get something done before the threat of bankruptcy hits,” Valvo, a retired aerospace engineer, said about his re-election bid. “We’re headed in the right direction, we just have little obstacles to get over.”

A grocery clerk at Stater Bros. Supermarket in Adelanto is among those vying for a seat. Ron Beard, 43, made unsuccessful bids for the council in 2012 and mayor in 2010. He’s undeterred by his failed runs and will join the race again this November for the mayor’s seat.

“I’m only running because everything is wrong up there (at City Hall),” Beard said. “I want the people to have a fair shake. It’s not fair when I’m the average person making $40,000 and (the city) wants more money from us because now they can go bankrupt.”

Beard has been accused by Councilman Jermaine Wright of campaigning in his line at the grocery store. Wright claims that Beard is spreading rumors about him stealing money from the city and telling people that the last election was rigged because he didn’t win.

“He uses his line at Stater Bros. as a campaign hub,” Wright said.

Beard denied the claim and said Wright was “just trying to get me disqualified.” Beard said his campaign efforts simply include knocking on doors and encouraging residents to register to vote.

“I just wish Jermaine would relax a little bit,” Beard said. “I don’t bring it up at work for nothing, because my job is my job.”

Wright said he’s throwing his hat in the mayoral race despite the fact that his council seat isn’t up until 2016.

“Our city needs a business approach instead of what we’ve been doing so far, which is not working,” Wright said. “We’re not a business-friendly city, and I believe the mayor (Thomas) lacks the business experience to bring in new businesses to help our city grow.”

Thomas said in response that Wright has had almost two years on the City Council to prove he has “business sense” but has not shown any results.

“I believe my business sense is just as keen, if not better than his,” Thomas said. “I work diligently with staff to bring businesses, but we can’t make businesses come here. I work my hardest to do what’s best for the city of Adelanto.”

One contender in the City Council race is former Adelanto Mayor Charley Glasper. Glasper, 78, was on the City Council from 2004-2010 but was unseated as mayor by Thomas after two years. The Air Force retiree said he’s already filed paperwork to run.

“I think the city needs some mature leadership,” Glasper said. “Hopefully the residents of Adelanto will look at me as an experienced past elected official that can help them in this quagmire that we’re in.”

Council incumbent Steven Baisden had not pulled his papers as of Thursday, but Wright said Baisden was on vacation. Baisden did not respond to an e-mail request for comment.

Adelanto resident Rich Kerr has also requested paperwork to run for the mayor’s seat, according to the City Clerk’s office. A call to Kerr was not immediately returned. Election Day is Nov. 4.

Brooke Self may be reached at 760-951-6232 or BSelf@VVDailyPress.com. You can also follow her on Twitter at @BrookeSelf or @DPEduNews.